Photographs on social media showed the jet with its nose to the ground, with local newspaper reports saying its landing gear appeared to have collapsed.

Dikesh Malhotra, who was returning from a business trip, said the impact of the landing caused bags to fall on terrified passengers, who clutched their seats, anxiously waiting for the plane to stop moving.

“We could feel the tyres skid… I could see an air hostess from my seat, she had tears in her eyes,” Malhotra, 28, told Agence France-Presse.

When the plane stopped, smoke filled the cabin, making it difficult to breathe, he said.

“Everyone got up and started shouting to open the door… finally they announced evacuation… we were so relieved,” he said.

Airport spokesman Chudal said officials would launch an investigation into the crash and question the pilot.

“The plane had permission to land and while conditions were foggy earlier, visibility was ok,” Chudal told Agence France-Presse.

“We are not sure how this happened.”

The Himalayan nation is home to some of the worldâ€™s most remote and tricky runways, flanked by snow-capped peaks and terrain that poses a challenge even for accomplished pilots.

A string of crashes as well as the European Union’s decision to blacklist all Nepalese airlines prompted government officials last year to announce plans to install new radar and weather monitoring systems which would provide real-time updates.

In the most recent accident last February, a Nepal Airlines plane slammed into a hillside in the country’s western region during heavy rain, killing all 18 people on board. â€“ Rappler.com